By  Francis E. Ogbimi

There were great hopes when Nigeria and others African nations gained political independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Nigeria is virtually a failed nation today. Yet, it can be worse. It can come to a state when each Nigerian has no life outside his/her house and premises; no community life. Many of us would then be living in refugee camps not knowing whether the other members of the family are dead or alive.  We would all be living in fear. I hear many millions of Nigerians say, to save NigeriaGod forbid! I too, say, God forbid! This demands that every Nigerian should work very hard to ensure that Nigeria does not fail and break up. The effort must not be left to any single individual or group.

Lillian Okenwa, a lawyer, a journalist, the publisher of Law & Society Magazine, published an article entitled: “Who will save Nigeria from this impending implosion?” as a Guest Writer on the back page of the Guardian newspaper, Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022.  To her lamentation, fear, genuine concern and the question she posed by the title of her article, I say, I believe very strongly that only Nigerians can save Nigeria especially when mobilised for learning and industrialization.  The state of Hawii of the USA is 4,400 km (2,800 miles) in the sea from continental USA. That demonstrates that it is not force or fear that keeps a people together in a nation but the pride of belonging to a great nation. We need

to build a great nation to live together happily. The Briton built Britain. The Americans built the United States of America. The Chinese built China. Nigerians would have to build Great Nigeria. Non-Nigerians would not build Nigeria for Nigerians.   

This article is part of my contribution to the needed mobilisation.  I am Emeritus Professor of Technology Management. I commenced a curiosity-driven research in 1986 to establish the scientific basis of the present global distribution of wealth and power and how nations develop. The research has been blessed abundantly. I have summarized the highlights of the results in a 7-book series. The eighth book is in the press. I believe that the results of our research constitute a special God’s gift-package to mankind. Why should Nigeria mobilise all her citizens for learning and industrialization? How should it be done? We need to mobilise all citizens for industrialization because it is industrialization that would transform all aspects of life of Nigerians from poverty and hopelessness into life of satisfaction, peace and joy. Britain, America, Japan China and all other industrialised nations were poor village-nations confronted by unemployment, poverty, high crime wave, other evils, before they became industrailised. Industrialisation changed their sad situation into the envious status of today. How is the mobilisation to be achieved?

First, there should be no party elections in 2023. Why? First, Nigeria does not have politicIal parties. President Dwight Eisenhower (1956) of the United States, reflecting on the issue of political parties, said, a political party deserves the approbation American, only as it represents the ideals, the aspirations and the hopes of Americans. If it is anything less, it is merely a conspiracy to seize power. About 20 years later, Daniel Boorstin (1973), American historian, again reflecting on the issue of political parties, said, a political party is organized for a purpose larger than its own survival; a political machine exists for its own sake, its primary purpose is survival. I agree with President Eisenhower and Boorstin.

Political groups in Nigeria do not represent the ideals, the aspirations and hopes of Nigerians; they exist for their members. Six decades after political independence, more than 70 per cent of Nigerians are very poor today; 31 per cent of Nigerians were poor in 1960. It is clear Nigerian politicians either have no plan to develop Nigeria or do not know how to develop Nigeria and do not care for the dangerous status of Nigeria today. Our parliamentary/presidential experiments have failed completely. The second reason is that a nation that cannot promote economic growth in terms of increased employment and wealth creation cannot promote peace and security. Increased employment promotes orderliness but mass unemployment and poverty coexists with insecurity. The third reason Nigeria should not organize party-based election in 2023 is that history shows the political route to growth and development of a nation is usually very long, uncertain, prone to violence, risky, etc. The Europeans and Asian nations drifted about 2000-3000 years with various forms of governments before the people acquired scientific knowledge, skills and capabilities and transformed all aspects of life including politics. There is no sense continuing to emphasize a route we know is risky, very long, prone to violence and more likely not to achieve the goals and aspiration of all Nigerians. A fourth reason for my suggestion is that party-based politics in 2023 cannot be less of a do-or-die affair than that of 2019. PMB said he was afraid of 2019 elections in 2017 or so. Nigeria is much worse in all aspects now than before 2019. If PMB were honest he should say today that he is very, very, very afraid of 2023 elections. A fifth reason is that a sick tree cannot produce good fruits. The PMB administration is too sick to produce a government that can give Nigerians and Nigeria a direction of hope. A sick tree does not produce good fruits.

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What is the alternative? There are two main aspects to the alternative. First, is the political change. Election should be organized on community basis. The present geo-political zones, our largest communities should be made a federating (learning) level. Nigeria should adopt five federating(learning)-levels federation: Central, geo-political zones, state, local government and city(mayoral) governments, for more intensive learning experience and better coordination. Zonal federal leaders should be elected in the zones (communities). The election should be a simple one about the individual within the geo-political zones. The 6 zonal federal leaders so elected for the central government will come together to form the executive arm of the federal/central government. Each zonal leader would head the central government for 2 years. The federal government will organize election once in 12 years. Similar elections should be held in the other four federating levels (zones, state, local government, mayoral).

The second main part of the alternative is the management of the economy. This should become the top-priority. Our research showed that learning (education, training, employment and research, integrated) is the primary basis of achieving capability-building growth and industrialization (CBGI). The higher the intensity of learning, the sooner the learning person or nation achieves a desired target. Industrialised societies have many millions of knowledgeable, skilled and competent people.

The highest learning rate a nation can achieve is to mobilise all her citizens for learning. Nigeria should mobilize all her citizens for learning. In a nation where the entire population is mobilised for learning, no one is left idle, there would be no unemployment, no insecurity, CBGI is rapid, wealth creation is rapid, poverty vanishes speedily. The Nigerian economy would be transformed in a few decades. The learning-nation will develop simultaneously all the wealth and power she needs to crush any divisive force

Japan mobilized all her citizens 1886-1905 and achieved industrialization. China mobilized all her citizens for learning in 1949 and achieved industrialization early 1980s. Let us demand this saving opportunity from the government of today for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Francis E. Ogbimi ([email protected])